The NFC West spent the offseason getting better, but the move that should keep Seattle awake at night came out of San Francisco.
The Rams made plenty of noise, no question. They landed the reigning NFL Defensive MVP, Miles Garrett, from the Browns, and then added even more punch when they announced last week that Aaron Donald had returned to the team.
That’s a massive haul by any standard. But for the Seahawks, the 49ers may be the more immediate problem.
Why? Because Seattle’s defensive backfield is suddenly looking awfully thin, and San Francisco’s receiver group got a lot more dangerous.
The Seahawks are entering the season with their best offensive line in several years, which at least gives them some stability on one side of the ball. Anthony Bradford has taken plenty of criticism, including from this corner, but he finished last season strong.
Per Pro Football Focus, his average grade was 18.0, a number that makes the point all by itself. From Week 9 on, though, Bradford flipped the script and posted a 79.8 average grade, which would rank fifth among all guards in the league.
He still had trouble against the Rams, but the offense got the job done in both the critical Week 16 game and the conference championship game.
That’s a real step up from where Seattle’s line used to be before Charles Cross and Abe Lucas arrived.
The concern now is the secondary. Devon Witherspoon is the best corner in the game, even if the NFL plaque seems to have gotten the title wrong. Nick Emmanwori was the versatile piece everyone expected him to be last season, Ty Okada filled in well for Julian Love when Love missed 9 games, and rookie safety Bud Clark made the group look even deeper heading into 2026.
Then the injuries hit. Emmanwori went down, Clark was lost for the season, and now Okada may be sidelined for a while too.
Seattle is headed into Week 1 with only three safeties on the active roster, and Emmanwori is one of them. He’s expected to be available for the Wednesday night kickoff, but the shortened turnaround doesn’t help.
Cornerback isn’t exactly in great shape either. Nehemiah Pritchett is currently the third corner, Julian Neal is questionable, Trevon Diggs is likely at least two weeks away from playing, and Terrion Arnold may not show up until the final weeks of the season, if at all. All signs, though, point to a big yes for Diggs.
That is why San Francisco’s changes feel so dangerous for Seattle. The 49ers upgraded from Jauan Jennings, a solid WR2, to Mike Evans, who looks like a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Evans is coming off an injury, and 2025 was the first season in his 12-year career that he didn’t reach 1,000 receiving yards. Even so, he was coming off his second straight Pro Bowl season, and in Kyle Shanahan’s offense, another Pro Bowl return would not be a surprise.
The Niners also have rookie De’Zhaun Stribling, who brings 4.36 speed and strong hands. He stood out in camp and the preseason, and while those snaps don’t count as the real thing, the early signs were encouraging.
Deebo Samuel is back, too, and Christian Kirk will take over for Brandon Aiyuk. Kirk is on injured reserve until at least Week 5, which just happens to be when San Francisco and Seattle meet for the first time.
That timing matters. By Week 5, Shanahan’s receiving corps could be at full strength, while Mike Macdonald’s defense could still be piecing itself together.
The Rams are a problem, sure. But for this first clash of division rivals, the team in NorthCal looks like the bigger headache for Seattle. The Seahawks won’t even see Los Angeles until Week 16.
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Seahawks Just Got A Serious NFC West Warning From The 49ers
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For Seattle, the message is simple enough: if that defense holds anywhere near this level, the division race is going to stay tight. The Seahawks have plenty to sort out on their own side, but San Francisco showed against Los Angeles that it still has the personnel to make life difficult for every contender in the West. [Read more 🡒]